JBL Charge is good, half decent bass and a long battery life.

I have somehow managed to avoid Covid for the last couple of years but caught it last week. I was the last in my extended family other than my parents to get it. I think it was on a short shared car journey on a kayak trip (windows were open). Splitting sore head for couple of days, bunged up, a bit of brain fog. Feeling a bit better a week later. I am rarely ill and only tested myself (as i have some LF left over) and I have a family get together soon and I wanted to know for sure. My only real symptom was a 2 day headache, the rest the same as a heavy chesty cold. I am on holiday so didn’t impact work, however I would only have not gone to work one day when I felt bad. So if there is no testing how do people know they have it or not and can take sensible precations, limiting contact with others etc. No wonder so many people are getting it.

A round frozen water bottle worked for me. Put a thin towel around it and roll your sole over it. Painful to start with, but it cleared up after daily rolling sessions. Fairly stiff soled shoes / trainers also helped when it was recovering.

Cracking ride today from the house into the nearby woods. A few people out and about, carefully keeping their distance.

My girls up and down the hill at Cambusbarron on Sunday without coming off or hugging a tree, which is always a bonus. They even said they had fun.

Although they work great all a Chromebook does is give access to the Google suite of browser based tools. Drive, google classroom etc. So not a full computer. They do usually have a long battery life.

I can’t use my usual workshop at the moment so improvisation time. I added an old vice that my Dad gave me which is more than 50 years old to a minibench I made. Still works good. Lets me carry on with latest canoe paddle.

Some other paddles and WIP pics

Great TED talk there from Sarah.
I get the “is this really it!” feeling from time to time particularly when work is too much and I am stressed out. A gratitude list helps. Write down or mentally list the good things in your life and try and focus on them.

My mum & dad went to New Zealand from uk to look after their grand daughter for 6 weeks while in their 70’s. Sister in law was recovering from a heart transplant. Brother was laid up at the time with a buggered back. Good for them. Not sure how much thanks they got to be honest. There are also 2 grandparents in nz less than a hour away. They are off again but for holiday with trips this time.

Having be out on a DofE bronze expedition this weekend.
It still seems pretty relevant for the kids.
e.g. A bit of adventure, planning, self sufficiency, away from their mobiles for 24h. Some having never camped before.
Lots of scope for developing life skills such as navigation etc.
Also soft skills such as team work, actually communicating with each other, problem solving, positive attitude etc.
Mixed backgrounds on ours but yes many are from more affluent families but they do tend to get more involved in everything. Kit to borrow so not too much cost.
Speaking to the young people afterwards most of them had a good time and saw value in it.

Regards of what you think of Lance A. A long but quite interesting interview with Honnold. I thought he comes across well. (Alex that is).

Lance interviews Honnold
(Oops posted already)

As a middle aged bod who has climbed for years at punters level i find it bonkers what Honnold does. It makes me cringe and squirm but at the same time much appreciation.

A line across the sky – with Tommy Caldwell in Patagonia

The above in Patagonia was an amazing feet of daring and climbing. The best Alpinists have been trying to do that for more than 20 years

I quite like the design. Sure it is over the top for uk / europe but aimed at US market where there are loads of such huge vehicles. Great to see the design taking advantage of the removal of petrol engine & transmission etc. Appears to be very good functionality wise. A more modest sized vehicle could be spot on.

I would be worried if i was a main stream car manufacturer that has not already got sone serious RnD on the go. The Rivian cars are going to be on the road for customers next year.

Rivian – Fully Charged

“We used to take the liner out & get the customer to put their foot in the shell with the toes touching the end, if you can fit 2 fingers behind the heel the size is about right.”

Above is great advice for a good fitting boot. If it is too long particularly you will never get a good fit with heal lift = pain. Personally i would go a little closer fitting than 2 fingers. Ignore the boot size / chart it is all to do with fit.
Most folk buy a boot that is too big. It should only be slightly longer than your foot (so you don’t bang your toes) and fairly snug width wise. Bigger or smaller inners than the shell size can also be used. Always go smaller shell if you can.

Many boots now come with thermo liners for a custom fit and usually can be done a few times.
You can do this yourself with a sock full of rice and a microwave. See vids on youtube,

There is quite a lot you can do to improve the fit. Decent insoles like super feet with the right arch support help.
A custom fitting service as suggested above like Allan Baxter is well worth it if you have odd shaped feet or struggle to get a good fit. They know all the tricks to help you get a good / comfortable fit.

At home (or in the shop) the boot should be quite tight, especially when new. You can revise / adjust after skiing a day or too, There are loads good deals on boots on ebay or sales if you know your size. A shop is only any good if the person serving you knows how to fit boots. If they do that’s going to help you loads.

Look up Tree Fool on Youtube.

Thanks Alex. I will have a look at the 3d print thread.
I will need to look into kits myself as I am changing jobs and will loose my access to a 3d printer.

3d prints of this classic Bauhaus chess set. As far as I know you can’t buy a replica. Quite a clever design removing the religious aspects and replacing with shapes mimicking the movement of the pieces.

Bauhaus Chess Set (Model XVI), author: Josef Hartwig, 1924

Modelled in Maya and then exported via 3dsmax to a STL file.
It took a while to print but happy with the result.

This is what it would have looked like originally in 1924.

The North Face, REI and Patagonia etc all make quite good short films about outdoor stuff & travel. Epic TV climbing daily has some interesting stuff on it if into gear and/or climbing.

I tried some. It is quite soft so bashes easily. I put a second layer of regular heavy lining paper over the top.

Our bedroom has a north facing end wall. I had problems with condensation. More effective was to take off the skirting boards and put up battons, then lining the wall with 25mm kingspan insulation. New plasterboard over the top. You could feel the difference with the wall being much less cold to the touch. I also increased ventilation. No more condensation on that wall.

I have read touching the void and seen the author speak, amazing story and book.

Great stuff.
Thanks for the suggestions.

yes it is poah
Great place & for a bit of camping.

daern that is a fair point. I agree.
I am old enough to remember upgrading my first decent mtb, 20 odd years ago with quite expensive at the time suspension forks.
It made all the difference.

Although fairly tall she is quite light and has been getting on ok at the moment.
I guess you can run the forks with low air pressure for a light person.

I like that Cube antares.

My daughter’s build from last year when she was 10.
I looked for a while to find a xs adult frame.
I got it off ebay in the end in good nic.
New short cranks, headset & seat.
I went for a 2nd hand rigid steel fork (sprayed of course) to keep the weight down.
Most of the rest I recycled off another bike I had and spares.
Running 1×9. Although I left the granny front gear on as could be dropped by hand if needed. (Not done this so far).

I am happy with the build, pretty decent weight and runs well.
She loves it.
I will put some Reba suspension forks my brother offered at some point.

Just this Sunday night.
A great bit of camping fun.

Some older pics below.

It is splendid, highly recommended.
The red trails are indeed good too.

My first car in 1993.

Not in the same league as the crackers above but a great car.
Some mild tinkering with go faster stripes, bucket seats and an orange pool ball gear knob (nicked).

It went pretty good too with big bore exhaust, inlet manifold and filter upgrades. I remember looking longingly through the mags for upgrade parts, especially wheels but I never had the cash.
Rust! Me and my dad did a lot of welding to get it through its last MOT.

Bought and sold on for under £500.

When I see a classic mini going past I reminisce of past adventures. Camping, Skiing, Windsurfing gear on the roof! Even delivering fruit and veg as my summer job van had broken down.

This is a friend from school’s car, his uncles from new. It lay for years as a shell before eventually being restored after his brother enthusiastically took it completely to bits.

I am not sure if it was excitement or fear hurtling though the Inverness countryside in that car. I remember BRAKE FADE and incredible ditch avoiding cornering. I dare say it will be worth a few pennies now as a Mark 1 1071cc Cooper.

How fast are we going?
Just past the fuel gauge!

Nice conversion, good job. I’m curious, can you fit the seats in the slots the other way round? i.e. 180o. I assume they can be lifted out if you wanted to.

Motorman those Tourneo seats look great. Do you have photos of the rest of your conversion?

I have slept in various vehicles, tents etc.

A tent is way more comfortable and warm. Cars / uninsulated vans are cold, noisy tin boxes. Some campsites won’t allow vans let alone car camping. If you are parked up in a layby or carpark, the cops will ask you what the hell you are doing especially if ruralish. They are checking you are not dodgy or trying to top yourself. Happened to me a couple of times. They went away after a chat and checking out the car.

Decent cushioned pad, pillow, blindfold and heaphones are a must. A warmish sleeping bag is required. It is like sleeping outside but out of wind & rain. Actually sleeping outside is more comfortable sometimes.

I got a win 10 pro licence only from Softwaregeeks.
Has worked fine, all updates etc.
Win 10 pro £25
Win 10 home £23

https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product/windows-10-home-2/%5B/url%5D

Thanks for the suggestion of Chappie.
I liked it. Great VFX, impressive seamless CGI from motion capture.

Ex machina was interesting too.

I agree with muddy@rseguy about Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics:

“A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”

Colony – I am almost at the end of the second TV season which I think is excellent. Not sure if it is really sci-fi but has drones and aliens.

What about building something like this.

A bit like a saw horse with sides.

Dobbies had some nice looking ones outside. About 4 or 5 feet across. Top approx waist height.

Osprey Escapist

Osprey Escapist here. Daily use for 3 years, it still looks pretty new. Used for daily bag + shorter walks, a bit of biking, skiing etc. Really like it. I have a slightly bigger Lowe Alpine climbing pack which is also good. Osprey have great customer service too.

Fold up a fleece type BUFF and tuck it down your top/pants in the lower back area. I do this for biking, skiing, walking etc when v cold. Great for keeping that bit warm.

I should have said that when I go with my kids 9 & 11 we just go climbing. I give them tips & a bit of instruction. They aren’t keen on competitions or the clubs (at the moment). Emma started when she was 5. We just vary what they are doing and go to different places. They currently like bouldering and do a bit of lead climbing with a backup top rope. Obviously if you don’t know what you are doing get some lessons. The classes I have observed have been very friendly and good.

47 here. I go to the climbing wall at least a couple of times a week. My daughters 9 & 11 love it and they have been doing it for over 3 years. Its a great thing to do with them for a couple of hours on a weekend. Been taking them outdoor climbing too.
There are plenty people way older than me who go and many climb very well and hard routes.
Compared with many sports there are loads of new people & kids going on courses and starting. Go for it.

Loving your sink unit Alex. Nice style and fine work.

No1 2010 Genesis Altitude – not much original. New 1×10 this year worked great.
No2 Old road bike which still runs well. New seat & chain this year.
No3 FS mtb which has not been out much.
Note: My climbing shoes have had more outings than my bikes.

Have a look at
Telemark Pyrenees

for an idea of the range of gear available.

I agree with the comments above about using quiver killers to mount more than one binding on a set of skis. You would be able to use your existing skis (if reasonably new style) to try it out.

You can get them from here.

The Piste Office

I have telemark and tech pin binding inserts on my skis so I can swap the bindings over as I want. If you are touring in the Lakes or Scotland there is likely to be hiking and rocks to deal with. The bindings are expensive so being able to swap them over to an older pair of skis you are not so bothered about is good. “Rock bashers”.

Ski the same length as usual unless to save weight or a more nimble ski. Weight does make a difference. Mainly for hiking. The current wider skis are great for soft snow, crud, powder etc. Touring boots with a walk mode are a hell of a lot easier to walk in, particularly if on mixed terrain i.e. rocks and heather.

2nd the climbing wall

Meet up with old pals occasionally and go to Ratho or similar for a laugh and a chat. We mostly all did climbing but sometimes someone else comes along and hires stuff.

Hand guns are designed for a single purpose… to kill people

Gun murder stats

“How the US compares: The number of gun murders per capita in the US in 2012 – the most recent year for comparable statistics – was nearly 30 times that in the UK, at 2.9 per 100,000 compared with just 0.1.”

Guns are not readily available or common in the uk. It seems in the States there are guns everywhere.

Scary program. I am full of fear .. i am going to buy a gun. You come into my house i will shoot you.
Bad guys have a gun so i am going to have a gun.

Just past a new fancy jag in Tesco car.
My 8 year old daughter remarked.
“would you like a metallic poop coloured car?”
I had to laugh thinking of this thread.

n.b. There was no mention of it being a nice car or anything.